Hunter welfare? Sen. Risser wants state to stop paying hunters
for dogs killed by wolves, by Doug Hansmann and Denise Thornton, Isthmus,
February 1, 2018. In 2017 the state of Wisconsin paid a record $99,400 to
hunters whose dogs were killed by wolves. Since the program began in 1985, the
state has paid hunters more than $700,000 for dogs that were killed by wolves.
No other state pays hunters for dogs that are killed this way  and Sen.
Fred Risser (D-Madison) wants to end the practice. Its not
societys job to reimburse individuals who voluntarily jeopardize the
wellbeing of their dogs by putting them in harms way, Risser tells
Isthmus. People get insurance for this kind of risk. Why should the
taxpayers pick up this cost? There are better ways to use the states
resources.

Smith: Wolf poaching bill deserves to be buried, Paul A.
Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, January 10, 2018. The public hearing on this
bill lasted about 3 1/2 hours. Thirty people registered against the bill, eight
in favor, according to Legislative aides. The proposed legislation would allow
unregulated killing of wolves in Wisconsin For as long as wolves are on the
federal Endangered or Threatened Species List, the proposed legislation (dubbed
the Wolf Poaching BIll) would, in effect, allow unregulated killing of the
species, discontinue funding for wolf management in Wisconsin, and make it
illegal for state police, sheriffs or conservation wardens to enforce laws
related to the management or killing of wolves. Only federal agents could
enforce wolf regulations in Wisconsin -- state law enforcement officials would
be barred from assisting their federal colleagues.

GOP bill would end wolf management in Wisconsin , Todd
RIchmond, Associated Press, Nov 9, 2017. "Some northern Wisconsin
legislators are proposing a bill that would end the state's efforts to manage
wolves and force police to ignore wolf killings, unless the federal government
removes the animals from the endangered species list. Under the bill, the DNR
would be prohibited from spending any money to manage wolves other than to
reimburse people for losses caused by wolves. Police and wardens would be
barred from enforcing any federal or state law relating to wolf management or
that prohibits killing wolves. The DNR wouldn't be allowed to communicate with
the federal government about enforcing wolf management laws or support federal
enforcement efforts."

Do big carnivores practice birth control?, Nicholas Weiler,
Science, Feb. 27, 2015. A new survey of mammalian carnivores worldwide proposes
that many large predators have the ability to limit their own numbers. The
results, though preliminary, could help explain how top predators keep the food
chains beneath them in balance.

Hounder Free For All: Wisconsins Wildlife Hell Is Worse
Than We Thought, OPINION, Our Wisconsin Our Wildlife, 7/27/17. "Even
though the use of hounds against wildlife, particularly bears, has only been
legal for a few decades it somehow has been warped into being considered
heritage and tradition by the Wisconsin DNR and stake
killing groups. For a signifiant portion of each year our public lands,
particularly our federally owned national forests, are over run with a violent
subset of the hunting community and thousands of bloodthirsty
hounds. This same violent subset of the hunting community is also
responsible for dumping at least 4.6 MILLION GALLONS of stale junk food, used
cooking grease/oil, and toxic blocks of chocolate as bait for six
months of each year beginning in April and used to condition bear and other
wildlife to human food sources. In fact a recent study showed that an average
bear receives 40 percent of their yearly food sources from this
bait. Despite this the Wisconsin DNR refuses to make any changes to
the duration of the baiting season or what type of bait is
allowed."

Senate Advances Legislation Gutting Federal Protections for
Wolves, The Center for Biological Diversity, 7/26/17. "Senators Ben
Cardin (D-Md.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) voted with Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)
in what was otherwise a party-line vote to approve the Hunting Heritage and
Environmental Legacy Preservation for Wildlife Act, or HELP Wildlife Act. The
bill weakens the Endangered Species Act by blocking any further judicial review
of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services 2011 decision to end federal
protections for wolves. The legislation also prevents the Environmental
Protection Agency from addressing lead pollutions impacts on fish and
other wildlife due to lead-based fishing gear."

Wisconsins Endangered Species Fund Sponsored Wolf/Dog
Fighting Season Has Begun, Rod Coronado, The Wolf Patrol, 7/18/17.
"Last year, more hunting dogs were killed by wolves than in any year
previous, a record 41 dogs, mostly bear hounds, and most killed in areas the
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) designated Wolf Caution
Areas. But instead of serving as a deterrent, Wisconsins unique
combination of minimal regulation of hound hunting and $2,500.00 reimbursement
payouts to hound hunters, is actually encouraging careless hound hunters to
continue running their dogs through federally protected gray wolf
territory."

National Heritage
Conservation Program. Re: Wolf Depredation Payments -- Because wolves are
currently listed as "Endangered," funding for the wolf depredation
payments comes from a USFWS livestock demonstration grant program;
and after the federal funds are exhausted, payments come from the endangered
resources fund. This link will take you to a document containing info on where
the money for the endangered resources fund comes from.

$300M for Great Lakes in U.S. House budget bill, Garret
Ellison, MLive, 7/12/17. The good news: A U.S. House budget committee has
released legislation that restores $300 million in Great Lakes funding
eliminated under President Donald Trump's 2018 budget proposal. The bad news
(read all the way to the end of the article) -- The bill also includes language
that would strip federal protection for gray wolves in the Great Lakes region
and Wyoming. The bill says the Interior Department may not spend any money
"to treat any gray wolf in any of the 48 contiguous states" as
"an endangered species or threatened species under the Endangered Species
Act."

Wolf Population Stabilizing in Wisconsin, Public News
Service, 7/11/17. With talk in Washington about changing or reforming the
Endangered Species Act, a Wisconsin wolf expert says this is not the time for a
change.

As payouts from dog-wolf conflicts reach new record, quicker
payouts sought for hunters , Steven Verburg, Wisconsin State Journal,
6/8/17. "Under a budget provision approved by the Joint Finance Committee,
the DNR would write a check as soon as it was confirmed that a dog was killed
by a wolf instead of waiting until after the start of a new calendar year. The
delay had been designed to determine if enough funding was available for full
payments or if they would be prorated."

David H. Ohnstad: Using dogs to hunt bears is cruel, David
H. Ohnstad, the LaCrosse Tribune, 6/13/17. "While payments to farmers for
wolf depredation of livestock, when proven, may be reasonable, payments to
hunters whose dogs are sacrificed while chasing bears is not only
irresponsible, it is disgusting."

Why We're So Divided Over Saving Wolves, Simon Worrall,
National Geographic, 6/11/17. "Wolf preservation has been called 'the
abortion issue of wildlife.' In Wolf Nation: The Life, Death, and Return
of Wild American Wolves, Brenda Peterson takes us inside the world of
these top predatorsand the cultural war being waged over them. Speaking
from her home in Seattle, she explains why the battle over wolves is like the
abortion debate, how removing protections in six Western states has led to the
deaths of more than 3,000 wolves, and why so many wolf advocates are
women."

The Wisconsin Deer Mortality Fallacy, Britt Ricci, Friends
of the Wisconsin Wolf & Wildlife, 2/28/17. "One of the biggest
misconceptions about wolves and one of the main drivers behind the wolf hunt is
the idea that wolves are decimating the deer population....The fact
remains that Wisconsin hunters, poachers and motorists have the most
significant impact on the Wisconsin deer herd. So maybe before humans take it
upon themselves to go interfering with a natural predator species that has
successfully evolved to survive and sustain a healthy existence over millions
of years, perhaps we should first attempt to get our own rates of deer
mortality under control."

Scientists Agree, Its Time to End the War on
Wildlife, Collette Adkins, Huffington Post, 2/17/17. "Killing large
predators to reduce livestock conflicts or benefit game populations has long
been thought to be ineffective  and devastating for ecosystems  and
a growing body of scientific literature criticizing the widespread practice is
confirming those fears. Most recently, this month, the Journal of Mammalogy
 a highly respected international scientific journal and flagship
publication for the American Society of Mammalogists  published a special
collection of articles criticizing lethal control of predators such as wolves
and grizzlies."

Falk: Proposal to delist wolves will lead to problems, Mary
Falk, Milwaukee- Wisconsin Journal Sentinal, 2/15/17. A cattle, sheep, and goat
farmer weighs in on the value of non-lethal wolf deterrants such as guard dogs.
"Leaving aside for a moment how much has been invested into preventing
wolves from vanishing altogether, this proposal has the potential to create big
headaches for small farmers. The consequences of allowing wolf hunts in my neck
of the woods are predictable: Its going to disrupt the delicate balance
weve spent years working out to keep predators at bay....There are many
available tools for protecting livestock from predators. Some farmers utilize
permanent electric fencing, portable fencing or night penning to safeguard
herds when it isnt possible to keep watch over them. All of these
nonlethal options for dealing with predators can be employed without disrupting
the natural balance." This article also brings up the point that hunting
wolves may lead to deer overpopulation, which causes other problems for small
farmers.

Study says Wisconsin DNR underreports gray wolf poaching,
Lee Bergquist, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2/6/17. "For years, wolves have
been shot illegally, struck by cars and trucks or legally killed by authorities
acting on reports that wolves were killing and threatening livestock and pets.
But in a study published Monday in the Journal of Mammalogy, UW researcher
Adrian Treves and a group of scientists found higher levels of illegal killing
of wolves in Wisconsin than reported by the Department of Natural Resources. As
part of the study, the researchers reinvestigated fatalities of a subset of
wolves and found abundant evidence of gunshot wounds and injuries
from trapping that may have been overlooked as a factor in their deaths, the
authors said."

Trumps Pick For Interior Is No Friend Of Endangered
Species, Dominique Mosbergen, The Huffington Post. 2/6/17.
"Conservationists have expressed concern that Zinkes nomination
could halt the positive trend for Americas threatened species. Although
his supporters note that he is a defender of public lands and one of the more
conservation-minded GOP lawmakers, the League of Conservation Voters gave Zinke
a rock-bottom 3 percent lifetime voting record on issues such as air and water,
climate change, drilling, forests and wildlife."

Why the Latest War on Wolves? Three Reasons You May Not
Know, Leda Huta Executive Director, Endangered Species Coalition; The
Huffington Post, 1/24/17. "For starters, state fish and wildlife agencies
have historically received the bulk of their funding from hunting and fishing
license sales, as well as ammunition tax revenue. So hunters often have an
outsize influence on the agency decisionmaking (so much so that, in many parts
of the country, these agencies are called fish and gamenot wildlife).
"Second, wolves arent just seen as one
cog in the wheel of nature. Theyre seen as a symbol of the federal
government. Since wolves were reintroduced by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
into Yellowstone and managed by FWS in other regions, theyre deeply
associated with the feds and deeply despised by those who hate all
things federal.
"Third is mythology. Wolves are smart,
family-oriented, and communicative. Their personalities are clear.... But we
treat wolves differently than all other species. It isnt about science.
Its about the mythology."

Trumps Presidency Means the End of Wolves in the American
West, Wes Siler, inline.com, 1/19/17. "Why exhaust so much time and
energy attacking a single species? The real answer is that the protections
wolves require in the West can run counter to the interests of industrial
agriculture businesses and the oil and gas industry, both of which want to
operate on land that is currently subject to protection because its wolf
habitat.
"The anti-wolf policies being paid for in
part by industrial agriculture are actually damaging the small, family-owned
farms where problems with wolves killing livestock actually take place and
which are often cited as the cause for these policies. Its been
scientifically demonstrated that killing problem wolves actually leads to a
direct correlation in increased livestock depredation. The killings disrupt
pack order and disperse wolves into new areas, and weakened packs are forced to
seek easier prey than the wild animals theyd otherwise focus on.
"The CBD has tracked donations from those
industries to Congress and compared them with the number of bills introduced
that threaten the Endangered Species Act (ESA). As campaign donations from the
oil and gas industry and industrial agriculture have increased, so too have
legislative assaults on the ESA. Because wolves have large ranges, the ESA may
prevent energy extraction or industrial farming across larger areas than some
other species. That explains the focus on removing the wolfs
protections."

JOINT PRESS RELEASE: Congress Unleashes War on Wolves Act,
Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf & Wildlife, 1/19/17. "Yesterday senators
from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Wyoming introduced the War on Wolves
Act, a companion bill to legislation introduced last week in the House of
Representatives that would strip federal protections from wolves and allow
trophy hunting, hounding (in Wisconsin) and trapping of the species in four
states. If the legislation passes both chambers and gets signed by the
president, it would leave the fate of wolves in Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin
and Wyoming to hostile states with management wolf plans that two federal
courts ruled inadequate to secure the species at legally required population
levels in absence of Endangered Species Act protections. This legislation would
also permanently deny citizens of the right to challenge delisting in court,
even if state management plans go awry. We view this to be a direct assault on
democracy and the right of Americans to challenge their government in a court
of law."

Wolves targeted as Congress moves to de-fang Endangered Species
Act, Garret Ellison, Mlive, 1/18/17. "The bill to remove the gray wolf
from the endangered list in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Wyoming includes
a jurisdictional stripping provision meant to bar the courts from hearing any
legal challenges to the legislation, which, if made law, would stop wolf
"management by litigation," according to bill sponsors.... Opponents
of the new bill say they're already gearing-up for a grassroots battle at the
state level given the greater likelihood the legislation will succeed under a
GOP-controlled Congress and the incoming Donald Trump administration. "I
think we'll see the hardest fight of our lives in the next four years,"
said Melissa Smith, who represents the Great Lakes region for the Endangered
Species Coalition, a network of groups working to safeguard the federal
law."

We don't need wolf hunting seasons to control wolf
depredation, Shirley Clements, The Cap Times, 12/22/16. "Listed or
delisted, wolves posing threat to humans can be controlled. Wild healthy wolves
attacking a human is practically nonexistent. Wolf attacks on pets are rare.
Walking pets on leash or keeping them in human presence prevents such attacks.
Finally, most wolves are not causing problems. Wolf attacks on cattle involve
"problem" wolves. Wolf seasons or no wolf seasons, when wolves are
delisted and under state management, policy changes: The state can immediately
use United States Fish and Wildlife Services and landowner shooting permits to
lethally handle problem wolves  those depredating/harassing domestic
animals."

MI Wolf hunting bill signed into law, Emily Lawler, MLive,
12/22/16. Gov. Rick Snyder on Thursday signed into law a bill that would put
Michigan in a position to allow wolf hunting if the federal government ever
dropped federal protection of the species.

Editorial: Wolf hunt bill ignores voters, Lansing State
Journal, 12/29/16. "Last week, Gov. Rick Snyder signed a law that would
once again make it possible to hunt gray wolves in Michigan  if or when
the protected animal is removed from the federal endangered species list. The
newest law, passed in lame duck session, is another in a growing list of
examples of the governor and Republican-controlled Legislature ignoring the
will of the people... . The wolf hunting legislation itself may seem like a
minor issue to many. But the overriding tenor of the debate  the
majoritys we-can-do-this-because-we-have-all-the-power
attitude  does not bode well for Michigans future."

A surreal year: Lawmakers continue to show contempt for
people's wishes, Jack Lessenberry, Michigan Radio, 12/23/16. "If you
had any remaining doubt that Snyder and the Legislature couldnt care less
about what we want, the bill features that newly popular legislative trick: A
token appropriation designed to prevent the voters from being able to repeal
this law again."

New Report Lists Gray Wolf Among Top Ten Imperiled Species,
Public News Service, 12/22/16. "As the Obama administration prepares to
hand over power to President-elect Donald Trump, the Endangered Species
Coalition has just released its top 10 list of imperiled species. The advocacy
group wants the next administration to take steps to slow the rates of
extinction. On the list is the gray wolf, which has become very familiar to
Wisconsin residents. "

Leaked emails show hunters want to wipe out Wisconsin
wolves, Patricia Randolph's Madravenspeak, 12/18/16. "With the
ascension of Donald Trump and the Republicans to power at the national level
and in many states, and with Sens. Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin campaigning
for wolves to be delisted from Endangered Species Act protection, it's almost
certain that next year Wisconsin's wolves will be back under the control of the
state Department of Natural Resources. And the DNR will undoubtedly give
hunters the green light for a killing spree."

U.P. senator makes another push for gray wolf bill,
Kathleen Gray, Detroit Free Press, 12/8/16. "Sen. Tom Casperson has been
trying for more than five years to legalize a hunt for gray wolves in a portion
of the Upper Peninsula.... . State Sen. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor, offered an
amendment, which failed, that would remove the $1-million appropriation from
the bill that makes it immune from a vote of the people. 'Regardless of how you
feel about the issue of whether or not an unelected body of folks should be
able to designate an animal as a game species, the will of the people needs to
be heard in this chamber and throughout the state,' she said. 'Sixty-four
percent of the people in the state said they disagreed with a wolf hunt. We
have to allow this legislation to go forward with appropriation so if they
disagree, they can take action again.'"